Scam of the Day
Scam of the day – September 4, 2024 – Wrong Number Text Message Scam
I received an email from a Scamicide subscriber who was concerned about a possible scam. She received a text message that was obviously intended for someone else. Wanting to be a responsible person, she responded to the text message by telling the sender that it had been sent to the wrong number. At this point, the scammer sending the original text message said that he was always looking for more friends and attempted to start a conversation. The Scamicide reader then became suspicious as the scammer started asking for personal information and she did not respond further.
Often these phony text messages aren’t even coming from a real person, but are automated responses sent by a bot programmed to give specific responses. The scams involved with these calls are many, but they all start with establishing a relationship with the targeted victim such that the victim begins to trust the scammer. At this point, the scammer may ask for personal information that can be used to make you a victim of identity theft. In other instances, they will lure you into clicking on a malware infected link under some pretense. In yet another version of the scam, they will use the text message to advance a romance scam and either eventually ask for money or for you to send compromising photos that would be used for blackmail purposes. Finally, these phony text messages have also been used to lure people into cryptocurrency scams. The bottom line is that when you get a text message that appears to be intended for someone else, it often is a scam.
TIPS
This is an easy scam to avoid. The best thing to do is to merely not respond at all to the text message. The risk of getting involved in a scam is too great. You also should block the number from your phone. If your mobile service provider is AT&T, Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile you should forward the message to SPAM (7726) and report it as spam.
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Scam of the day – September 3, 2024 – Children’s Identity Theft is a Huge Problem
Identity theft of children is a huge problem According to Michael Bruemmer the Vice President of Consumer Protection for Experian 25% of minors will have their identities stolen before they turn 18. Identity thieves steal the identity of a child and then run up large debts using the credit of the child, who generally does not become aware that his or her identity has been stolen until he or she reaches older teen years when the teenager might first apply for a car loan or financial aid for college.
Identity theft of children’s identities is a major national problem. According to a study by the Carnegie Mellon CyLab, children are more than 51 times more likely to become a victim of identity theft than adults. Children are also the most common victims of “synthetic identity theft.” Many people are not familiar with the term “synthetic Identity theft,” but it poses a significant threat to many people particularly children.
Synthetic identity theft occurs when a criminal takes information from a variety of sources to create a new identity to take out loans, purchase goods and services, or fraudulently obtain credit cards. Synthetic identity thieves combine real and fake information to form a new fictional person. They may use your Social Security number and combine it with the name, address and phone number of someone else. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that synthetic identity theft is the fastest growing type of identity theft. Children are the most common victims of synthetic identity theft and it is often many years before the problem is discovered.
In synthetic identity theft criminals then build the credit score of the synthetic identity by having people use the credit cards and make regular payments until the credit score of the new synthetic identity is high enough for the ultimate payoff, which is referred to as the “bust out.” In the bust out phase, the identity thief uses the new synthetic identity to either make large purchases or take out big loans that are never paid back. Some synthetic identity thieves will take years to build the synthetic identity theft credit score by making payments on cell phone accounts, car loans and more.
TIPS
Some telltale signs of synthetic identity theft include being contacted about an account that you never opened or a debt that you didn’t incur. Also, look for aliases listed on your credit report that you do not use. A dramatic lowering of your credit score coupled with a lack of negative information on your primary credit reports are further indications of synthetic identity theft. The reason that your primary credit report will not show negative information due to synthetic identity theft is because when a criminal uses your Social Security number, but doesn’t use your name, the negative information caused by their actions does not appear on your regular credit report. Instead, the information is added to a sub-file of your credit report which will, however, cause your credit score to drop tremendously.
If you do find out that you or your children have become a victim of synthetic identity theft, notify each of the three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of the crime and ask them to investigate and remove the false information from your sub-files.
Parents also should, as much as possible, try to limit the places that have their child’s Social Security number and become familiar with the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act which helps you protect the privacy of your child’s school records and enables you to opt out of information sharing by the school with third parties. You also should freeze the credit reports of your children. Until 2018 there was no national law that allowed the credit reports of children to be frozen, but in the wake of the major Equifax data breach, Congress passed laws that now permit children’s credit reports to be frozen and unfrozen for free.
Here are the links to information about how to freeze your child’s credit reports at each of the three major credit reporting agencies.
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/identity-theft/freezing-your-childs-credit-report-faq/
Recently, Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas field a bill in Congress entitled the Credit Freeze for Newborns Act which, if enacted into law would dramatically simplify the process for parents to freeze the credit of their children as well as require the Social Security Administration to notify parents about how to freeze their children’s credit when issuing Social Security numbers for the children. I am a strong supporter of this bill.
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Scam of the day – September 2, 2024 – Funeral Home Call Scam
Recently the Bradenton Florida Police Department issued a warning about a significant increase in a funeral home call scam. The scam begins when scammers posing as funeral homes call the families of the deceased demanding money be paid to them, often by cryptocurrency, Zelle or gift cards, threatening to cancel the funeral unless the money is paid immediately. The scammers use information gathered from obituaries to choose their targeted victims. The call appears on your Caller ID as coming from the real funeral home being used by the family but, as I have often told you, through a simple technology called “spoofing” scammers are able to make their phone call appear to come from whatever number they wish.
TIPS
Scammers often target people when they are at their most vulnerable and a grieving family may well be susceptible to such a scam. Anytime you get a phone call, text message or email, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you so if you are ever asked for personal information or to make a payment you should never provide the information or make a payment until you have absolutely confirmed that the communication was legitimate. In this case, hanging up on the scammer and calling the funeral home at a phone number that you know is accurate will confirm that this is a scam.
Another clear indication of a scam is when the scammer demands payment by cryptocurrencies, Zelle or gift cards. No legitimate business requires payment in this manner, but scammers prefer these forms of payment because of their speed, anonymity and difficulty to reverse.
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Scam of the day – September 1, 2024 – When Do I Have to Give My Social Security Number?
Your Social Security number is a critical piece of information that in the hands of an identity thief can readily lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft which can be devastating. Certainly it is important to safeguard your Social Security number as much as possible. For instance, you should not keep your Social Security number in your wallet or purse. But what about when companies or institutions with which we do business ask for your Social Security number as a verifying piece of personal information? Do you have the right to refuse?
Certain government forms such as your income tax return require you to provide your Social Security number and if you are applying for a credit card or a loan, you will need to provide your Social Security number. However, many other companies and institutions which you do business with will ask for your Social Security number as an easy method of verifying your identity. The problem is that with a myriad of data breaches every year, the privacy of your Social Security number is only as good as the cybersecurity of the companies that hold this information and overall, many of them do not do a good job of protecting their data. Years ago, Nancy Reagan coined the phrase, “Just say no” in an anti-drug campaign and it is a good idea to use those words when asked for your Social Security number by a company or institution that doesn’t need it. For instance, your physician doesn’t need it.
The problem is that there is no law that prohibits these companies and institutions from asking for your Social Security number and they are allowed by law to refuse you their services if you fail to provide it. Fortunately, more and more companies and institutions are recognizing that they don’t need your Social Security number and, in fact, are better off, not having it and having it be vulnerable in the even of a data breach.
TIPS
The best course of action when asked to provide your Social Security number by a company or institution that doesn’t need it is to politely refuse and offer some other form of identification number such as your driver’s license or passport number. More and more we are finding that companies are willing to accept these forms of identification. In the even that the company won’t accept an alternative form of identification and refuses to provide you with their services unless you provide your Social Security number, you merely need to decide whether or not you need their services so much that you are willing to compromise your personal security. The choice is yours.
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Scam of the day – August 31, 2024 – FTC Sues More Student Loan Scammers
More than forty-two million Americans have student loans with an outstanding balance of more than 1.4 trillion dollars so it is no surprise that scammers are focusing their attention on these students and former students through scams that falsely promise to provide debt relief. I have written numerous times in the past about various student loan debt relief scams including just two weeks ago. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission sued Start Connecting LLC and USA Student Debt Relief as well as their owners for falsely claiming that people who paid upfront fees for their program were guaranteed to receive loan forgiveness. They also falsely claimed that they were affiliated with the Department of Education. While the lawsuit proceeds, a federal court has issued an injunction preventing the defendants from operating the scam and also froze their assets. USA Student Debt Relief used fake testimonials on Instagram and Facebook such as the post below which featured a fictional Ana Rojas and lies about how they had helped her.
TIPS
The old adage still is true. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Many of these student loan debt relief scammers promise quick loan forgiveness, which is unrealistic. In addition, you should never pay any upfront fees for student loan debt relief assistance. Those fees are illegal and are a sure indication that you are being scammed. Also, remember my motto, “trust me, you can’t trust anyone.” Don’t trust scammers merely because they claim that they are affiliated with the government. You also should never share your FSA ID with anyone.
I will keep you informed as to the progress of this lawsuit and if funds are obtained from the defendants to be returned to the scam victims, I will provide you with the information you need to make a claim.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing about legitimate options for reducing student loans, go to the Department of Education’s website which describes the various loan forgiveness plans offered by the federal government. Here is a link to that information. https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation
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Scam of the day – August 30, 2024 – “Look Who Died” Facebook Scam
A variation on an old Facebook scam has recently resurfaced. In the new scam you receive a Facebook Message that merely says “Look Who Died?” and is followed by a link that leads you to a website where you are prompted to provide personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft. Alternatively, merely clicking on the link, in some instances, has downloaded destructive malware to your phone, computer or tablet.
This new scam is a variation of one about which I have written about previously in which you receive a Facebook Message that contains a video and the words “Is it you in the video” as a prompt to get you to click on the video which either takes you to a website where you are prompted to provide personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, again, merely by clicking on the link, you will download malware.
TIPS
Remember my motto, BS – Be skeptical. Whenever you get a Facebook message, email, or text message you can never be sure who is really contacting you. The “friend” you think is communicating with you may well be a criminal who has managed to hack your friend’s Facebook account, email account or phone and use these accounts to send out phishing messages that lure you into clicking on infected links. Never click on a link unless you have absolutely confirmed that it is legitimate.
In the case of this particular Facebook Messenger scam, instead of clicking on the link or providing your user name and password, you should contact your real friend to determine if they sent the message to you. Additionally, it is always a good idea to use dual factor authentication whenever possible for all of your online accounts so that if somehow you are tricked into providing your user name and password, the criminal still wouldn’t be able to gain access to your account. Here is a link to information about setting up dual factor authentication on your Facebook account. https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823
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Scam of the day – August 29, 2024 – Tap and Glue ATM Scam
Clever scam artists, the only criminals we refer to as artists, have recently come up with a new way to steal money from your bank account through ATMs. The scam starts when you go to insert your card into the slot at an ATM, but are unable to do so which is obviously puzzling. Fortunately for you, there is a helpful stranger also at the ATM who tells you that he had the same problem, but was able to access the ATM by using the tap function that allows your card to use the RFID radio wave capabilities of your card to access your account without having to insert your card into the card reader. Unfortunately, you later find out that not only did you access your account, but so did the helpful stranger who had earlier plugged the ATM card slot with glue to make it unusable and then used your account to withdraw money because whenever you use the tap feature, the account remains open for more transactions unless you log out. Many people don’t think of this and merely take their card and their money and leave.
TIPS
The key to avoiding this scam is to make sure whenever you use an ATM that you affirmatively log out of the account before you leave whether you use the tap feature or not.
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Scam of the day – August 28, 2024 – Phony Weight Loss Drug Scams
The popular weight loss Ozempic is in low supply and high demand even at a cost of almost $1,000 per month if it is not covered by insurance. As a result scammers are using social media, phishing emails and phony online pharmacy websites to sell worthless phony Ozempic or what they say is generic Ozempic to unsuspecting victims. The security software company McAfee recently issued a report in which they found 176,871 phishing emails and 449 phony pharmacy websites related to selling phony Ozempic just between January and April. They also used fake profiles on Facebook and advertisements on legitimate websites to sell their worthless, counterfeit Ozempic. Often the scammers will try to appear to be Canadian pharmacies.
No generic form of the drug has been approved by the FDA, and what people are receiving may be either ineffectual or even harmful. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has a list of websites selling fraudulent and unsafe medications. Before even considering buying a prescription drug online, you should see if the site you are considering is legitimate.
In many instances, the scammers ask for payment through cryptocurrencies, gift cards Zelle and Venmo, which are indications of a scam since legitimate businesses do not demand payment in this manner although scammers do because of the anonymity of these payments and the difficulty in stopping the payments. Some scammers operating these phony websites appear to offer the option to pay by credit card, but when you try to do so an error message appears and you are compelled to pay in one of the methods preferred by the scammers.
TIP
Although it is still technically illegal to purchase prescription drugs from Canada either directly or over the internet, federal officials using enforcement discretion as provided by law generally do not get involved with prescription drug shipments for personal consumption. The first thing anyone considering ordering prescription drugs from Canada should do is make sure that they are dealing with a legitimate Canadian pharmacy that requires a prescription from an American doctor. It is easy to research this online. Any online pharmacy that promises to sell you prescription drugs without your obtaining a prescription is a scam, plain and simple.
Some security software can recognize websites of scammers and are worth getting.
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Scam of the day – August 27, 2024 – Your Airline Boarding Pass Can Lead to Identity Theft
Identity theft dangers are everywhere, but particularly at busy airports. People are quick to dispose of their boarding passes after they have landed by merely tossing them into a trash receptacle, but your boarding pass barcode can be easily decoded by an identity thief who retrieves your discarded boarding pass from which he can gain much information including information about your frequent flier account which can be used to make you a victim of identity theft. All an identity thief needs is a barcode scanner, which can easily be obtained online, to access a wide range of information that the airline has about you on your boarding pass including, for some airlines, your email address, phone number and more. In addition, a clever identity thief can leverage this information by posing as the airline in calling you, providing your account number and then tricking you into providing more personal information that can be used against you.
TIPS
As for your boarding pass, the best protection is to shred the boarding pass once you no longer need it rather than merely toss it into a waste basket. Even better is to not even use a paper boarding pass, but rather get your boarding pass digitally sent to you on your phone.
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Scam of the day – August 26, 2024 – Gold to Cash Scam Expanding
In the Scam of the day for May 7 2024 I told you that Ravinkle Mathon was arraigned in a Maryland court accused of attempting to scam an elderly man out of $200,000 in an elaborate scam that has increased dramatically in the last year. Police say that the scam began with a phone call from Mathon to an elderly man in which Mathon posed as a federal agent telling the targeted victim that his identity had been stolen and that he needed to protect his savings by withdrawing all of his funds, purchasing gold with the funds and then turn the gold over to the alleged scammer for safe keeping. Fortunately, a family member of the targeted victim became aware of the scam and notified police who set up a sting and arrested Mathon when he came to collect the gold..
Scammers posing as government officials also perpetrate this scam by telling their targeted victims that their accounts have been hacked or are in danger of being hacked and that they need to liquidate their assets and purchase gold or some other precious metal in order to protect their assets. The scammers then send a courier to collect the gold, purportedly for safe keeping on behalf of the targeted victim. Once they have the gold, they disappear leaving the victim penniless.
More recently, also in Maryland, an 82 year old woman lost $900,000 to the same scam. In this instance, a pop up on the victim’s computer directed her to call a phone number where scammers posing as government agents told her that criminals had hacked into her computer and had access to her bank account and Social Security. She was then directed to turn her savings into gold that would be collected and held for safe keeping by the scammers posing as federal agents. In this case, police arrested a nineteen year old New Yorker, Zhenyong Weng and charged his with the crime.
TIPS
The primary thing to keep in mind in order to avoid this scam is to remember that no government agency or legitimate business will ever request that you purchase gold or other precious metals for any purpose and certainly not to protect them from criminals.
This scam increased to total losses last year of 55 million dollars and is getting worse. In March a 64 year old woman lost $700,000 through this scam. According to the FBI, many of the perpetrators of this crime are foreigners who have little difficult leaving the country with gold bars.
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